A Tale in Prose of Fire
by Anglophile79
Summary: An AU beginning in 3.17, A Tale of Poes and Fire. What if instead of the Independence Inn catching fire, it was Luke's Diner, leaving a displaced Luke and Jess. Might Lorelai have a solution to their problem? Java Junkie.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi, everyone! While I'm not new to fan fiction, this is my first Gilmore Girls fic. This story is an AU from the season 3 episode A Tale of Poes and** **Fire,** **and starts immediately after the Poe reading. I had this intriguing idea of what if Luke's Diner had caught on fire instead of the Independence Inn, and knew I had to write it. I have a lot of fun stuff planned for this story, so I hope you'll stick with me! Please leave a review if you can. I would love to hear from you! Enjoy!**

 **And, of course, I don't own Gilmore Girls. If I did, June 3rd would have been a happy day for the past decade or so.**

* * *

Lorelai was getting to a good part in her dream. There was a guy cooking her dinner, enveloped by shadow so she couldn't quite tell who it was. She found herself grinning, almost giddy. It seemed like the beginning of a new relationship when everything is so exciting, but yet it also felt incredibly familiar. Just as she was trying to fully assess her situation, she could see the guy in the shadows turning her direction. "Mom?"

 _Huh?_

"Mom. Mom, wake up."

Lorelai stirred and tried to begrudgingly shake herself out of her dream as she saw her daughter next to her holding the cordless phone. "What?"

"It's Babette," Rory mumbled, still half asleep. "She said she needs to talk with you, it's urgent."

"I swear, if it's about one of her gnomes—"

"She sounds freaked," said Rory as she handed the phone over.

Lorelai groaned. "Babette, it's the middle of the night. What's going on?"

"Hey, suga', listen, I don't want you to panic or nothin', but I just got a call from Patty who heard from Eastside Tilly that Luke's Diner caught on fire. I was gonna come over to tell ya but figured I could call you quicker. Didn't want to scare you girls."

Lorelai bolted upright as soon as Babette uttered "fire." Her heart felt like it was stuck in her throat. Involuntary tears began to pool in her eyes as she tried to get a handle on her emotions, as Rory stared at her wide-eyed.

"Luke?" she managed to choke out.

"I honestly don't know, doll. I don't have any more information, but Patty is heading over there now, and I'm waking up Morey so we can go, too."

"I'm on my way, too. Thanks for calling, Babette." She hung up, and immediately ran to her closet to pull out a coat and shoes. "Get dressed, hurry."

"What happened, Mom?"

"The, uh, the diner, it caught fire," Lorelai answered as she rapidly rifled through her closet.

"What?! Are Jess and Luke ok?"

"I don't know, hon. I just have to go find out what happened. Wait, maybe you should stay here."

"You're insane; of course I'm coming, too. Give me just a second."

"Are you sure? I don't know what we'll be walking into."

"Do you honestly think I'm just going to sit here at home right now? We're both going."

Rory ran downstairs to grab her shoes, and met Lorelai at the front door a minute later, noticing her feet. "Slippers?"

"Grabbed the first thing I could find. I can buy new ones."

"Ok, let's go."

Lorelai couldn't help but pause. "Rory—" her voice cracked.

Rory grabbed her hand, her voice faltering as well. "I know, Mom, me too."

The short walk to the diner consisted of brisk steps between the two girls. Rory had questioned why they didn't just take the Jeep, and Lorelai simply answered it would take just as long for the car to warm up in the cool spring night as it would to walk, but the truth was Lorelai needed a moment to process. As much as she wanted to run to the diner, she was terrified of what she would find once she got there. Luke and Jess would have been most likely sleeping. How bad was the fire? Was the diner completely destroyed? Were they able to get out in time? An extra shiver went through her as she kept the pace with Rory.

Rory. She had to stay strong for Rory. This was unusual territory, because the only other times she had been this freaked out had been _because_ of Rory; the times she hadn't come home and when she'd gotten into the accident the year before. But now, Rory was right beside her, counting on her. She couldn't fall apart right now, even though she felt her heart might race right out of her chest.

Within almost no time they reached the square, and could see an orange glow coming from Luke's corner. Lorelai put her arm around Rory as they began to move closer.

The fire seemed fairly contained, and the building looked intact. The firefighters were shooting the hose at the flame that was left. A small crowd had gathered nearby, and Lorelai scanned it for any signs of a blue baseball cap. _Silly Lorelai, it's the middle of the night. He wouldn't be wearing it now!_

As they moved closer, the crowd parted a bit, and Lorelai gasped. There he was, right in the middle, in his pajamas with disheveled hair. Without another thought, Lorelai began running.

"Luke!"

Luke turned to see who called his name, and within seconds she crashed into him, throwing her arms around his neck. She could smell the smoke on him, but at that moment she couldn't care less, and found herself breathing out a shaky sigh of relief.

"Thank God you're ok!"

"Lorelai, what are you doing here?"

She pulled back a bit, still trying to find a full breath. "Babette called. Eastside Tilly. She didn't know if you were alive. I'm wearing slippers. I just ran, and I never run! Rory, look! Luke is ok! Are you ok?" she asked, her hands clinging to his forearms.

"Yeah, I'm fine. You brought Rory? It's not safe here, for either of you."

Rory caught up to them. "Luke! You're alright!" She couldn't help but give him a hug as well.

"There's a whole crowd here, Luke. I think we'll be fine. But where's Jess?"

Rory turned her large blue eyes up to Luke.

"He hasn't come home yet. You know how he sometimes comes in late, so I'd gone on to bed. But when I started smelling smoke, I was instantly awake, and scoured the place looking for Jess, but he definitely wasn't in the building. Plus, his car is gone."

Lorelai turned to Rory. "You have any idea on Mystery Man's whereabouts?"

"No. The last time we talked was late yesterday afternoon, but he never said anything about being out late."

"Well, I'm sure he's fine. You know how he is. Don't worry, Rory," Luke said, reassuringly.

"You're absolutely sure he wasn't in the building?"

"The firefighters have already confirmed there was no else in there besides me."

Lorelai watched Luke as he ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, and her heart ached for him. Not only did his business catch on fire, so did his home, and his nephew wasn't even around when he was needed. She could tell his resolve to stay strong was near its breaking point, because hers was as well.

"Luke," she prodded gently.

"Yeah?"

"How did this happen?"

With a thick sigh, he hung his head. "I don't know. I honestly don't know. I double check everything before I go upstairs every night. It all seemed fine."

"Have the firefighters determined anything yet?" Rory piped in.

"No, not yet. It looks like they have everything contained, so maybe they'll find something out soon."

A car suddenly screeched up near the scene. As the passenger door opened, a searing "Luuuuuuuuuuuuke!" pierced through the air. Morey quietly followed his wife who was making a run for the bemused diner owner.

"Oh, suga', you poor, poor thing! You ok, sweetie? Such a shame. Do you remember old Polly Winifred? Used to live on Maple when you were just a wee thing. She had a shop down near The Chat Club, but it burned down back in, when was it, '68? Oh, she was never the same after that. She moved up to the coast of Maine to work in a lighthouse, never married, and then got struck by lightning and died. It was weeks before anyone found her—"

Lorelai put a gentle hand on Babette's arm to interrupt her. "Um, Babette, maybe this isn't the most comforting story for Luke right now."

"Oh, sure, sure, you're right! What was I thinking? Oh, Luke, tell me what happened. Never mind, I see Tilly. I can find out from her. I'll be back! You stay strong, Luke, ok?" In a flash, she was gone.

Luke let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. "Geez, I never thought I'd be happy to hear that Eastside Tilly was nearby."

"You know she means well. She loves you. This whole town loves you."

"Luke!" a brusque voice called out.

"Well, most of the town," Lorelai muttered under her breath as she saw Jess darting through the crowd to where they were standing.

"Jess!" Rory exclaimed, and wrapped his arms around him.

"Jess, where the hell were you?!" asked Luke, but as he spoke, he eyeballed the Walmart apron in his hand. "You were working?"

"Yeah. They were shorthanded, so I just picked up a few extra hours, no big deal. What happened here?"

"What happened here is this building that you live and work in caught on fire, and I had to look all over for you to make sure you weren't in the building and dying! _That's_ what happened here! But hey, thanks for showing up!" Luke yelled.

"Hey, don't put that on me! How was I supposed to know the building was gonna catch fire? Who expects that to happen? I had a chance to work, and I took it!"

"It's two in the morning, Jess! You have school in six hours. What part of you thought this was a good idea? You should've been in bed!"

"Why, so I could get caught in smoke? Isn't it better that I wasn't up there?"

"But _I_ didn't know that!"

"Look, we're all alive, right? So just let it go. I'm gonna go talk to my girlfriend now, who is actually glad to see me."

Jess pulled Rory aside and they moved a short distance from the crowd. Rory looked back at Luke and gave him a helpless shrug.

"That kid! You know, you're probably right after all." Luke spewed out.

"I usually am, but what instance of being right are we talking about here?" asked Lorelai.

"What you said earlier tonight after the Poe reading about him cutting school. If he's working at two in the morning then he's probably cutting school as well! But he has to know what an idiotic idea that is!"

"I know you were probably the epitome of responsibility when you were a teenager, but I can speak from experience that teenagers are notorious for coming up with idiotic ideas."

"It's just, we had a deal."

"And if he knows what's good for him, he will meet his end of the deal. We don't know the whole story. Maybe he's actually a robot and doesn't need sleep so he's able to work every night, and that's how he gets his forty hours in."

"You're not helping."

"I'm sorry. Just trying to lighten the mood because I really don't want to think about what is happening right in front of us."

"Me neither."

They stood in silence for a few minutes, grateful for each other's company. The fire was now out completely. Flames were no longer visible from anywhere inside. A firefighter came over to them, his attention toward Luke.

"You're the owner of the building?"

"Yeah, Luke Danes."

"I'm Chief Baker. We have put out the fire, but it's unsafe for anyone to enter the building just yet."

"Do you know what started it?"

"It appears that some faulty wiring caused it; somewhere back in the kitchen area."

"How bad is the damage?"

"The structure is stable, but we will need to better determine what we're dealing with once we really get in there and look around. You can probably go in sometime tomorrow. I understand you live upstairs?"

"Yeah, my nephew and I share the apartment."

"I'm afraid even if repairs start immediately it will most likely be weeks before you can stay there again. You'll have to make other arrangements."

Luke's face fell. "Uh, ok."

"Is there a number we can reach you tomorrow?" the chief asked.

"You can leave a message with me," Lorelai offered.

"And you are?"

"Lorelai Gilmore, his friend and number one customer. Luke doesn't have a cell phone even though I've told him a million times he needs one. So you can call me, and I'll let him know." She gave the chief her number, and he headed back to the building. Luke began to pace in front of her.

"Luke, I am really sorry."

"I can't believe this. Hey, is there a room available at the Independence right now?"

Lorelai was about to answer yes but something stopped her. The thought of the two guys cooped up in a hotel room for who knows how long was more than she could take. She knew what she had to do, what she wanted to do, and without taking a second to consider all the consequences, she confidently stated, "You're not going to the Inn. You're staying with us."

Luke's eyes bugged out. "What?"

"You're staying with us."

"What about Jess?"

"Oh, well, Jess gets the bench in the gazebo. Of course Jess would stay with us, too!"

"You can't be serious. You heard the chief. It could be weeks, maybe months, before we can stay here again."

"You guys can't live out of a hotel room for weeks on end. You'll kill each other. And as much as I'd love to give you a room for free, I can't, and you need to save as much money as possible."

"Lorelai, this is crazy. You do realize you'd be allowing Jess and Rory to sleep under the same roof."

She had tried not to. "He won't try anything. If he does, he knows he will experience unbelievable pain and misery, and then you'll deal with him, too. Rory can sleep in my room so we'll be sequestered away upstairs, you can have the living room, and Jess can take Rory's room."

Luke stared at Lorelai, his expression showing he still couldn't quite believe this incredibly generous offer was being handed to him. "I don't know, Lorelai."

"I can't have you guys homeless. Look, if my house were suddenly uninhabitable, and I was roaming the town like a madwoman looking for a place to stay, I know you'd let me stay with you."

"And have you gripe about the size of my bed? No thanks."

"Ok, definitely a discussion for another day, but you would. I know you would. You know why? Because you're a good man, Luke Danes. You've always done so much for us. Let me do this for you."

Luke gave her a little half-smile. "You're really sure you wouldn't mind?"

"You come over all the time anyway. Now you'll just be wearing pajamas."

"Ah, geez."

"So, that's a yes in Luke-ese?"

"Yes, and thanks."

"No problem. Guess we should tell our counterparts?"

"Go right ahead," Luke said with a smirk.

"Gee, thanks."

The crowd was starting to disperse and head back to their homes. The frenzied atmosphere that had dominated that little corner of the square was dying down and a quiet was settling back over Stars Hollow once again. Luke and Lorelai easily found Rory and Jess, who were sitting on the bench in the small park next to Miss Patty's.

"So, Uncle Luke, what happens now?" Jess grumbled.

"Funny you should ask. Lorelai?"

"Well, the fire chief guy said it'll be weeks before you can stay in the apartment again, but not to worry. You and Luke will stay at our house."

"What?!" asked Rory.

"Seriously?" asked Jess simultaneously.

"It will be fine. We've got it all worked out. It will give you guys a home until your apartment can be lived in again."

Rory shot questioning eyes at her mother, and Lorelai found her brilliant decision suddenly unraveling in her mind. Their house was still Rory's too, and Lorelai had practically just thrown Jess into Rory's bedroom, without a single consultation with her daughter. What had she been thinking? She remembered when Lorelai had first invited Dean over years ago, how upset Rory had been. She had to be furious this time, but surely Rory would understand how the guys needed a place to live.

Putting on a big smile, Lorelai said, "Well, come on, don't be shy. Let's go see your new home!"

She could feel three pairs of eyes staring at the back of her head, and she rolled her eyes. _It's about to get interesting, folks…._


	2. Chapter 2

Lorelai could feel the tension crackling in the air as the four of them walked to the house. The two monosyllabic men naturally seemed a bit unsettled after everything that had just transpired, while Rory's expression was unreadable. Lorelai kept trying to get Rory's attention so she could communicate with her eyes, but to no avail. She had to do something to keep everyone's spirits up.

As they approached their driveway, Lorelai nudged a quiet Rory who had been walking beside her. "Can you run in first and make sure the house is, you know, guy-friendly?" she whispered.

Rory's eyes widened, and she nodded. "Got it," and with that she was off and running.

"What's Rory doing?" Jess asked.

"Oh, she got an eyelash stuck in her eye, so she had to go take care of it. Soooo, welcome to the Crap Shack Inn, Stars Hollow's finest establishment this side of Peach. If you need any help in finding your way, just ask the concierge, who would be me."

She pushed open the front door and looked for any kind of signal from Rory…crickets. As she led the guys to the living room, she continued, "Now, Mr. Danes, we have you booked in the living room suite, complete with dancing rabbi for entertainment. We have complimentary Pop-Tarts in the breakfast area. Extra towels can be found in the, um, well, the hamper actually. Laundry is a bit backed up, so we will send the maids…." She paused, taking in their tired, blank faces. "Ugh, sorry, guys, I'll stop. I blame sleep deprivation."

"No, Lorelai, it's…fine," Luke said.

"It's not. You guys are exhausted. I'm exhausted. We all need some sleep. Besides, I'll have a better spiel worked out tomorrow," she added with a wink.

"Can't wait," Jess sneered.

Ignoring his remark, Lorelai tried to give him a smile. "So, Jess, I hope you don't mind, but I figured you could stay in Rory's room."

Jess cocked an eyebrow.

"And Rory will be upstairs with me. I'm _so_ sorry, Jess. Did I not mention that part?"

Jess just rolled his eyes, while Rory finally returned to the group, arms loaded with pillows and blankets for the guys.

"Rory! How are things? Things are good?" Lorelai asked emphatically, eyebrows raised high as Rory set the linens on the couch.

"Things are good."

"Great! Well, then we will head upstairs and leave you guys to it."

"I just need to grab my stuff out of my room," Rory called as she headed into her bedroom.

"I'll go help her, "Jess added.

Once he disappeared, Lorelai looked over at Luke. "Be honest, should we be at all concerned about Jess being here?"

"Nah, I already threatened him within an inch of his life on the way over here. He'll be alright," he replied with a slight smirk.

"Do you need anything else before I go upstairs?"

"I may grab a glass of water, but I know where your sink is, and your glasses, for that matter."

"I can get it," she stated as she walked toward the kitchen. Luke followed.

"Lorelai, you've done enough, really. Letting us stay here is such a help. Thank you."

"You're welcome. But I want your stay to be stress-free. You have a lot to deal with right now. And I've seen you stressed. It's not pretty." She handed him the full glass.

"I'll be ok."

"Yes, you will." She poked her head in Rory's room. "Rory, you ready?"

Rory had a bag in her hand. "Yep, all set. And Jess, be kind to my books, ok?" She pointed a finger at him.

"Nothing but respect for the written word, Rory."

"And you won't snoop?"

"Only a few drawers."

"Jess."

"I'll be a good boy," Jess assured her as he leaned in to give her a quick kiss goodnight.

The girls found Luke already settled on the couch, eyes closed.

"You think he's asleep?" Rory whispered.

"If he is, that's got to be some kind of record. We should contact Guinness in the morning."

"No need," Luke mumbled.

"Shoot, there goes our chance at fame."

"Hey, Luke, I really am glad you and Jess are ok," Rory said.

"Thanks, Rory."

"I second her position. We'll see you in the morning, Luke."

"Goodnight."

Lorelai cast one quick glance at Luke on the couch before shaking her head on her way upstairs. She and Luke had never slept under the same roof before, and she found the whole concept a bit odd. She felt a little unnerved, and yet at the same, completely safe knowing he was there.

As soon as Lorelai closed the door to her bedroom, she blurted, "Ok spill, unleash, release, let me have it."

"I just…can't believe this is all happening."

"I know. It's been a crazy night, and I know we didn't get a chance to talk. So, are you ok with all this?"

Rory shrugged off the question with a quick, "Sure."

Lorelai walked over to her daughter and gently placed her hands on Rory's shoulders. "Really? Listen, Rory, you are my heart. If this makes you uncomfortable, you say the word, and we'll work out another arrangement."

"It's not that, Mom. I'm ok with this because I don't want them to be homeless. I'm glad they're here and they're safe. But you and I have always been a team. I was just surprised you didn't run anything by me."

"Rory, I didn't have a chance to think this one through, or maybe I did and I just didn't take it. All I know is it was an urgent situation, craziness happening all around us, and my brain blurted out the first solution I could think of. I'm so sorry I didn't consult you first. We _are_ a team, I swear. It all just happened so fast. I know it's not ideal for any of us, but we can get through it, right?"

"My boyfriend," Rory gestured a hand in the direction of downstairs, "is alone in my bedroom, the same room that has Colonel Clucker; the same room that has my underwear! It's wigging me out a bit."

"Ok, now that's wigging me out a little, too. But Luke is close by. Jess won't mess with your stuff. And we can always hide your underwear tomorrow."

"Fair enough, I guess. I _do_ get why you made your decision the way you did. I probably would have done the same."

"Are you _sure_ you're ok?"

"I think all the stress of making my college decision is getting to me. The pros and cons are all just swimming in my head, and I'm going to be a sleepy mess at school tomorrow."

"I'll call Headmaster Charleston in the morning, explain what happened. You can take the day off."

"Mom, I think diner-catching-fire is right up there with deer-hitting-car. They will never go for it."

"You just leave that to me, my powers of persuasion, and my excellent lying skills."

"You are the master," Rory affirmed.

They crawled into the bed, finally feeling relief as their heads hit the pillows.

"Hey, Mom?"

"Mmmhmm?" Lorelai answered, already feeling sleepy again.

"Is it weird for you that Luke is sleeping downstairs?"

"Why would that be weird?" What was weird was that her daughter was apparently tuned into the same frequency as Lorelai had been on the stairs.

"Well, you know, you and Luke's relationship has always been a bit complicated."

"No, we are about as uncomplicated as pudding. We're friends. I'm helping out a friend. I am one hundred percent ok with this."

"Fine, I'll go along with that…for now. Goodnight, Mom."

"Goodnight, sweets."

* * *

About three seconds later, Lorelai groaned as her alarm went off, or at least it felt like three seconds later. Her whole body was plagued with sheer exhaustion after only getting a few hours of sleep, if that. After making a couple of phone calls, she settled back in to sleep for another hour or so, until an assortment of heavenly aromas assaulted her nose.

She sat up, getting her bearings. Rory was still fast asleep next to her. Lorelai brushed a few strands of hair from her daughter's face as the events of the previous evening came back to her, as well as her realization of who was creating this olfactory heaven. Breathing deeply, Lorelai got a full whiff of pancakes, bacon, hash browns, and best of all, coffee! She almost never got to actually _wake up_ to all of those delicious scents, except for a few of Rory's ill-fated attempts at breakfast on various Mother's Days.

Pulling the covers back gently so as not to disturb Rory, she hopped out of bed and hurried downstairs. She padded to the kitchen, stopping at the water jug, just out of sight. Sure enough, there was Luke, standing in her kitchen making breakfast. He moved swiftly, as if he'd been cooking in there for years, and as if there was a diner full of customers waiting impatiently on their orders.

Something about the scene in front of her made Lorelai's insides curl up with warmth.

She stepped forward into the room. "Can I see a menu, please?"

Luke jumped, nearly dropping the pancake on the spatula. "Geez, Lorelai, what are you doing sneaking around like that?"

"I couldn't resist. You were just so focused on making this amazing breakfast. Also, why are you making this amazing breakfast?"

"Couldn't sleep. I felt so tired, but my mind just kept replaying those moments when I realized there was a fire, the panic of trying to find Jess. It just wouldn't stop. And yet, none of it still seems real."

Lorelai touched his arm. "I'm so sorry, Luke."

"Yeah, well, it'll be ok. I'm gonna head over to the diner today once the fire chief calls, get more information, see when Tom can start working on repairs."

"Sounds like a good plan. I'm coming with you by the way."

"Don't you have to work?"

"I already called Michel and told him he needed to cover things this morning, which he took _extremely_ well considering how excited he _already_ was at the prospect of checking out everyone in The Poe Society, as you can imagine. I'm coming with you; it's decided. You shouldn't have to go back there alone, and Jess isn't able to be at your beck and call through this process."

"Ok, good. Thanks."

"You're welcome. So, this all looks great. You didn't have to, though."

"I kinda wanted to do something to say thanks for taking me and Jess in. Besides, it's what I do. I get up early every day and I cook. This is my normal routine. I just don't have a diner to do it in." Before Lorelai could open her mouth, he put a hand up to stop her. "I know, I know, dirty."

"You're learning."

"Your coffee is over by the sink."

"You're learning even more!" she added with a grin. She took hold of the hot mug and had it an inch of her lips when she stopped and sniffed. "This is decaf."

Luke scoffed. "What? No. That's crazy."

Lorelai took a tiny sip. "It is! I don't even keep decaf in the house! How dare you, sir? Where did this even come from?"

Luke ignored her, looking intently at the curtains on the back door instead.

Lorelai gasped with dramatic flair. "Did you actually go to Doose's this morning, buy decaf, and bring it back here thinking you could pull one over on Lorelai Gilmore?"

Hanging his head, Luke replied, "How? How are you that good?"

"HA! It's all in the nose, my friend. I can smell snow, imposter coffee, and whenever my mother has been in a room. Nice try, Luke. You should know me better than that by now."

"I do. I just couldn't resist trying," he said with a little laugh.

"So where's the real stuff?" Lorelai began opening cabinets to search.

"Where's what stuff?" Luke asked innocently.

"Coffee, my fuel, my lifeblood. Where did you hide—" Lorelai stopped short, suddenly overcome with powerful déjà vu. "Whoa, freaky!"

"What?"

"I had a dream once that you hid my coffee, _and_ you had tried to switch my coffee to decaf!"

"Dream Luke sounds pretty realistic. Where was this?"

"Well, um, it was here at the house, after you had tried to wake me up with eighteen alarm clocks, which is not a bad way to get me up."

"I'm surprised it doesn't take eighteen alarms to wake you up in real life."

Ignoring him, she continued. "So, I went downstairs for coffee, and you talked to my stomach."

"Why on earth would I do that?"

"Well, because I was pregnant. Twins."

"Mine?"

"What am I, dream tramp? Of course yours."

"We were married?"

She dared to look over at his surprised face, and their eyes met. "Um, yeah. Did I not mention that?"

"No. You know, you shouldn't drink coffee when you're pregnant."

"Uh, true."

"It's probably why Rory's a caffeine addict."

"Right, you're right."

"Dream go beyond that?"

 _Yes, you kissed me and it felt amazing in the dream, but it doesn't mean anything even though according to Dr. Rory it means I'm in love with you which is completely ridiculous because it was just a dream even though ever since I've kinda wondered what it would be like. Why did I even bring this up?!_ "No. Um, you talked to my stomach and then you ki. . .well, no."

"Oh, okay. You, uh, ready for pancakes?"

"Yes, please!" Lorelai replied, grateful for the change of subject.

"Morning," Rory greeted, rubbing her eyes as she walked in the kitchen.

"Look, our guest made us breakfast!"

"Thanks, Luke! This is great. Wait, why are you smiling like that?"

Lorelai peered over at him just in time to catch the tail end of a grin before it faded away. "What? Nothing, no reason. Here's your breakfast." He loaded up their plates and set them on the table.

"Man, I could get used to this, Luke's food without even leaving the house!" Rory enthused, grabbing a slice of bacon.

"Couldn't have you girls go hungry. I know how you two get."

"Oh yeah, it can definitely get ugly. Remember that time when Mom hadn't eaten all day and came in the diner threatening to yell out every single U2 song title until you gave her cheeseburgers and fries?"

"Hey, it worked, didn't it?" Lorelai defended.

"You could've just _asked_ for a burger," Luke pointed out.

"Where's the fun in that? Plus, I remember that day vividly. It wasn't just hunger. Michel had called out sick but still felt like he needed to call me every five minutes to fill me in on some 'very pertinent' information so I wouldn't screw up his system. Plus the freezer in the kitchen there had defrosted, so Sookie was losing her mind. I needed cheeseburgers."

"Like I said, I know how you two get," Luke reiterated.

"If you know how we get, why did you try to switch our coffee with decaf, hmmm?" Lorelai questioned as she pointed the syrup bottle at Luke in an accusatory manner.

"What?! You really did that, Luke?" Rory asked in disbelief.

Luke nodded.

"This morning?"

"Yep."

"But Mom has the nose."

"I told him that!" Lorelai elbowed Rory gleefully.

Luke rolled his eyes. "Yes, I forgot about the nose, ok? I thought maybe, just maybe, I could get you both to be just a bit healthier, for once."

"Says the man feeding us bacon."

"Well, ya know, baby steps. Anything beyond that would be insane."

"See, Mom, he does know us," Rory concluded as she took another bite of pancakes. "Has Jess eaten? He better grab something before we eat it all."

Lorelai looked over at Rory's closed bedroom door, hearing nothing but quiet on the other side. "He must be sleeping in. Giving him a day to recover, Luke?"

"Actually I think I heard him leave right before I woke up, about 6am."

"Going to school before dawn? Or hitting the early shift at Walmart?" Lorelai questioned.

"Lorelai…." Luke said in a warning tone.

"Well, I mean Rory is the most studious person under this roof and she doesn't even leave for school that early."

"Speaking of, did you call Headmaster Charleston?" Rory asked.

"I did. I calmly explained the situation, added a few embellishments, and boldly made my case."

"And?"

"He said he couldn't wait to see your sunshiny face in class today."

"He did not."

"Not the sunshiny part, but the rest of it, yes. Sorry, kid, I tried."

"It's ok. I'm actually not as tired as I thought I would be. I think I've still got a lot of adrenaline from last night. Plus, I need to see if Paris shows up today, because if she doesn't, she will need some notes. She's been gone all week."

"She still having her Harvard meltdown?"

"That's my guess."

"Harvard meltdown?" Luke asked.

"Oh, it's quite a story. I'll fill you in later," Lorelai replied.

"That maybe he doesn't need to have _all_ the details about, right, Mom?" Rory asked with pleading eyes, reminding Lorelai of Paris' C-SPAN word vomit that mentioned a few too many revelations about Rory.

Rory got up to knock on her own bedroom door. "Meanwhile, we still don't know Jess' situation. Jess? Are you in there? Hello?" Opening the door, she finds an empty room, complete with unmade bed.

"Huh, guess you did hear him leave earlier," Lorelai commented. "Rory, Jess talks about school with you, right?"

"Sure, some. Why?" Rory replied.

"Well, I mean, he's working a lot these days."

"He's saving a lot, too. He wants a better car."

"So has he gone part-time at school?"

"What do you mean?"

"Getting work credit or something?"

"No, he's going full-time. What's going on?"

"Luke here is a bit curious about how all his time is accounted for. It just seems like with all this work, and school, and squiring you around town that maybe something ended up being dropped."

"Of course Jess is going to school. He's working and going to school. I mean, why would he not go? That would be crazy, and Jess isn't crazy." Rory spoke with confidence, but Lorelai could tell there was an edge of concern to her voice.

"I agree, Rory," Luke interjected. "Jess is smart. He knows the agreement we made, so there shouldn't be any problem. He's at school or at some quiet spot reading until school starts, since his living arrangements just got a lot more crowded. Either way, I wouldn't worry about it. It was just a brief thought I had, nothing more."

Rory nodded, still looking a bit skeptical. "Ok, well, I have to go get ready so I can still catch my bus. Thanks again for breakfast, Luke. I'm hoping there will be some real coffee when I come back down?"

"On it!" Lorelai called out to her as Rory dashed upstairs. She turned back to Luke. "You sound a lot more confident about Jess than you did last night."

"It still doesn't add up, and I will get to the bottom of it. But there are bigger things to deal with right now. Plus, I don't want to get Rory all concerned if there's no need. She's got enough on her plate, too."

"Speaking of plates, I'm going to get a bit more bacon."

Luke started to clear the dishes and clean up the pans while Lorelai finished eating. Once she was done, she left the room without saying a word, but came back not a minute later. Luke was grabbing her empty plate when he noticed a ten-dollar bill on the table.

"Aw, come on, what is this?" He groaned.

"What? I'm paying for breakfast."

"But we're not at the diner."

"Well, right now you don't have a diner."

"Exactly! And since when did you become a paying customer?"

"Right now we're your _only_ customers. And I resent that! I know without a doubt we've paid for, you know, _some_ of our food!"

"Oh, right, _some_. That sounds better."

"Will you just take the stupid money?!"

With a heaving sigh, he slid the bill into his pocket. "Thanks. But look, you can't keep treating me differently because of the fire. I know you're trying to help, and I appreciate that, but I'm still normal Luke. I'm fine. This kind of thing is not going to go on every morning, ok?"

"Ok, fine, I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry, just be Lorelai."

"Got it. So, I've been patient long enough. Where is my coffee?"

Luke smirked. "Yep, there she is."

Lorelai folded her arms and stared at him.

"The cabinet with your pans."

She immediately went to the cabinet. "A cabinet that hardly ever gets used, clever. Of course, now that you've tricked me I'm not sure you can be trusted with coffee. Then again, I have to go get ready for the day so maybe you can get off the hook by fixing a fresh pot?" She thrust the bag of coffee at Luke's chest.

Before she strode upstairs, she noticed Luke shake his head as he grabbed the coffee pot. "Such a piece of work."

* * *

 **A/N: First off, I would like to say WOW! Your response to my first chapter blew me away! Thank you so much for all the reviews and follows! I wanted to go ahead and get the next chapter up so you wouldn't have to wait too long this time, but I'm not sure how quickly the next couple will be. But hang in there! I absolutely plan to finish this story as soon as I can.**

 **I also wanted to mention that you probably noticed some dialogue taken directly from the show. I'm not one to write long scenes verbatim from any show, so my plan is that any time that's necessary it will be changed up a little bit with a different spin on it. However, I HAD to include the dream scene pretty much exactly the same, because it's basically perfect. :)**

 **Reviews are welcomed and treasured. Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

Shortly after Chief Baker gave Lorelai a call that morning, she and Luke headed toward the diner, with Lorelai hoping to make this visit as bearable as possible.

"I have high hopes about this. Chief Baker said the structure is still secure, so at least you don't have to worry about that, and Tom can work his magic and poof, you'll be back to grumbling about Kirk's orders in no time. Is Tom meeting us there?"

"He said he'd be there as soon as he could. He had to stop by another work site first, and then coming to the diner before working on the Soda Shoppe."

Luke froze.

Lorelai froze.

"Taylor," they both said simultaneously.

"Oh, crap!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"How did I not even _think_ about Taylor before now?!" Luke lamented.

"I'm sure a lot of it was willfully blocking him out of your mind, which is seriously impressive considering you visited the market this morning! But his Soda Shoppe is supposed to have its grand opening fairly soon! He's probably waiting there already in all his red tape glory, clipboard in hand, ready to pounce."

"Sure, because we wouldn't want to tamper with the historical integrity of the place when we rebuild! Or violate some long-forgotten code!" Luke's voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Maybe he doesn't know yet," Lorelai offered, hoping to reel things back in a bit.

"Of course he knows. How would he not know? Gossip Central already made sure everyone knew!"

"Did you see him there during the fire last night?"

"No, but I didn't really look at who was in that crowd."

"He wasn't at the Poe reading, either."

"Maybe he just didn't want to hear all those 'nevermore's'. I certainly didn't."

"Whether he does or doesn't know, we can take him, ok? Taylor and his clipboard will just have to disappear until you're ready to deal with him. Fires happen all the time."

"Not in Stars Hollow."

As they pulled up to the corner where the diner still stood, they saw Chief Baker standing by the door, and fortunately, no Taylor.

"Hello again, Mr. Danes, you can safely go inside and try to collect whatever can be salvaged. It's a lot to take in, but this building can function again. Why don't I show you a few things in particular when we go inside?"

Lorelai noticed a glance from Luke before he set his jaw and stepped in. She followed them in but found herself frozen as soon as she stepped inside. It was as though a tornado had swept through, leaving behind a wet, gray blanket resting on top of the damage. At least half of the tables and chairs were damaged and strewn about in precarious positions, while the wall behind the counter was heavily charred and nearly unrecognizable. There were bits of miscellaneous items scattered about on the floor. It felt dark and dank, and the smoky smell that lingered was overpowering. The kitchen looked to be a wreck, what she could tell from her vantage point. She could hear Chief Baker giving Luke explanations as they walked into the kitchen to examine…something. Lorelai could no longer focus on what the men were saying; she could only see the destruction in front of her.

Except what she actually saw was an eleven-year-old Rory with books spread out all over a table after doing homework for a couple of hours after school. She saw the first time she'd gotten to witness the entertainment of Luke arguing with Taylor over, which festival was it that time? The fourth of July? The Firelight? She remembered trying to take bets with Rory over which one was going to pop a blood vessel first. She saw the disgusting-yet-thoughtful Santa burger Luke had made for her, and how he had dropped everything to drive her to the hospital to see her dad. She saw Sookie and Jackson's first date. She saw the time she came in as Mimi, and Luke had graciously given her a second chance after their horrible fight. She saw early mornings, late nights, and more cups of coffee than she could possibly count.

She jumped when she felt a hand on her arm. Luke had returned, looking at her with concern.

"What?" she asked.

"You ok? What's with the tears?"

"For Fears?"

"On your face."

Her hand reflexively went straight to her cheek, where sure enough, she could feel the moisture from the few tears that had fallen.

"Oh, wow, sorry. No need for alarm. I didn't even realize I'd been crying. It's just this place. Seeing it like this, I don't know. I wouldn't classify myself as an overly sentimental person or anything, but I found myself thinking back to all the time I've spent here. The diner has become like my third home."

"Considering I know what your second home means to you, I'd say that feels like pretty high praise."

"It is, don't worry. But seriously, it's just a case of nostalgia. How are you doing right now?"

Luke looked away. "Oh, you know, alright."

"You're not alright, Luke, and that is perfectly normal. I can't think of anyone who would be alright in this situation. You're allowed to feel, to process. I came here for support. I know I currently may not seem like the most stable source of support, but I promise I'm here. Talk to me, Luke."

Luke turned over a couple of chairs that were undamaged, and sat, looking as though an entire planet was weighing down on his shoulders. "All I can see when I look at this mess is my dad."

Lorelai fell into the other chair beside him. "Luke…."

"I mean he put his heart and soul into this building. The man knew his hardware backward and forward, and he made something strong and solid out of his business. And he entrusted it to me. And what do I do? I burn the place down."

"You didn't burn it down! It's still standing, and the fire was not your fault!"

"But it was on my watch, Lorelai. I'm responsible for this place. I have spent years trying to live up to his legacy. But it's all for nothing. This is what'll be remembered, the time the diner caught on fire. I may not have started the fire, but I couldn't stop it, either. And now so much of what he left here in this place is gone."

Lorelai found herself reaching her hand out, finding his hand and grasping it tightly.

Luke continued to look down. "I failed him."

"Luke, look at me. You have to look at me when I tell you this."

Reluctantly, he complied, and she found herself looking straight into his eyes; eyes looking bluer than she'd ever seen.

"You one hundred percent _did not_ fail your father. If he were here, I'm sure he would tell you the very same thing, because he sounds like a wonderful man with a good head on his shoulders. And you are, too. You can't take the blame on this one. Ok, there was a fire. But instead of wallowing around in the damage, you can rebuild. You can bring the diner back better than it ever was before. You can show the town this is not going to bring you down. Wouldn't that be a better way to live up to your father's legacy?"

Luke dropped his gaze and gave a firm nod, but somehow with that nod, Lorelai knew he had truly heard her.

"Besides," she continued as she released her hand, "I can help get this place back in shape. I happen to know a _great_ painter."

With that comment, Luke's face finally cracked a small smile. "Oh yeah?"

"Yep, although this time, I'm thinking we really branch out a bit. I've still got tons of paint samples! Maybe a bold blue, or yellow perhaps? Trust me, it's going to look..." she trailed off as her eyes widened. "The order!"

Luke immediately bolted out of his seat, knowing exactly what she was referring to, and they raced to the un-spruced spot behind the counter to see if it was still there.

Crouching down, they both breathed out sighs of relief when they saw the precious handwriting still displayed on the wall, somehow completely untouched by the fire. _Three hammers, Phillips-head screwdrivers and three boxes of nails in assorted sizes._

Lorelai grinned at Luke, who was grinning right back.

And she felt it.

In another nostalgic whirlwind, she was transported back to the night she first saw this spot, when they were planning to paint the diner. For some reason, she could recall it with vivid clarity. She remembered how they were positioned the same as they were now, how he'd smiled the same, and how she'd wondered if he was going to kiss her. She hadn't known why she'd thought that or if that was even something she wanted; it was just a vibe she'd picked up. The air that night had been so electrically charged that she'd had to leave before something irrevocably changed between them.

And she could almost swear that electric air was wafting through again.

Lorelai had occasionally wondered what had been going on in Luke's head that night, and now, noticing his faraway look, maybe he was thinking about that night, too. Normally, she would immediately dismiss her train of thought, but being right back here in this re-created scene of that night, her curiosity was eating her alive.

"Hey, Luke, can I ask you something?"

"Yes, I had wanted to."

Lorelai nearly jumped out of her skin. _Ok, that was weird._ Were they thinking the same thing? Did he mean he'd wanted to kiss her that night? He _was_ referring to that night, too, wasn't he? _Wasn't_ he? Before she'd even _asked the question_?

"You…wanted to…what?"

Luke shot a somewhat panicked look at her. She wondered if he'd even meant to say that.

"Um, I, um, had wanted to see if you wanted Chinese for dinner."

 _Liar_. But she had to let it slide for now. The tension hung up in the moment was already getting to be too much. She needed air, or maybe a sedative.

"Yeah, I think…maybe I had wanted that as well."

Before Luke could respond any further, Chief Baker reappeared to show them upstairs, unintentionally shaking them from their nostalgic fog. Thankfully, the stairs were still sturdy enough to be used. While they headed towards the staircase, the chief commented, "One silver lining is most of the damage is more on the freestanding side rather than affecting the building next door. In fact, there is next to no damage at all against that adjoining wall."

"Considering who is going to be on the other side of that wall, my worries are not over, trust me," Luke grumbled. They continued to make their way upstairs.

Walking into the apartment, they first saw that Jess' side was in pretty good shape. Luke's side, however, was more like downstairs was, but it was clear there was quite a bit that could be salvaged.

"Butch's trophies seem to be intact," said Lorelai.

"Who's Butch?" asked the chief.

Luke sighed. "Me, unfortunately. Also, feel free to ignore her."

"Why, Butch Danes, how can you say that about sweet lil' ole me?" Lorelai protested in her southern belle voice.

"I should have brought boxes to collect stuff," Luke commented, steering Lorelai back to the situation at hand.

"Why don't I run to Doose's and grab some real quick? They're bound to have extras in their stockroom," Lorelai suggested. "And you can take the boxes back to the house when you're done. Use the garage."

"Isn't Lane's band using it?"

"They'll deal. Free practice spaces don't come easy."

"Alright, sounds good. I'll start sorting through this mess."

Lorelai hurried over to the market and nearly ran smack dab into Miss Patty.

"Lorelai, dear! What are you doing in such a rush?"

"Sorry, Patty, just trying to grab a couple of things."

"Have you heard from Luke? I was going to stop by the diner on the way to open the studio and see if he was there."

"I have heard from Luke. He's doing alright. And he's at the diner now, but I don't think you'll want to go in there. Big mess everywhere."

"So you've seen him? How is the poor guy? Does he have somewhere to stay?"

"Um, yeah, he does."

"Oh, good! Where is he at?"

Lorelai knew the moment she spilled the beans to Patty everyone in town would know their living arrangements. But there was nothing to be embarrassed about. The truth had to come out sometime. "He's actually staying at our house, him and Jess."

Patty's eyebrows shot as high as they could. "Both of them? Really?"

"Just until they can get their apartment fixed back up."

"Reeeally?" Patty drew out dramatically.

"Yes, really, Patty." Lorelai already regretted it.

"Well, aren't you just a dear for offering your home like that! Um, I have to go. But tell Luke we're all thinking of him, ok? Thank you, Lorelai!" With that, Patty hightailed it to her studio.

Lorelai noticed Taylor also wasn't at the market as she got her boxes. When she returned to the diner, Luke was back downstairs, the chief was gone, and Tom had shown up.

"Tom, how's my favorite contractor?" Lorelai greeted.

"Hey, Lorelai."

"Tom says Taylor is out of town," Luke mentioned.

"What? He never goes anywhere. Where did he go?"

"Eh, something about his sister in Maine. He doesn't know about the fire," Tom explained.

"Wow, well that buys us some time. I've got some boxes, and they said they would set aside some more in case we run out. Where should we start?"

"Do you mind starting in the apartment, maybe the kitchen area? Just pull anything that looks worth saving. I've got to go over some more things with Tom, and I can join you in a little while."

Lorelai agreed and began sorting out items upstairs. She'd managed to have gone through all the cabinets and drawers when Luke finally joined her.

"You and Tom work out a plan?"

"Yep. He's going to start work in a few days, add it into the Soda Shoppe workload."

"Isn't that going to push back the grand opening of the Soda Shoppe?"

"A little," Luke answered with a smug smile.

"What about Taylor?"

"Says he's got a few tricks up his sleeve to deal with him."

"He must share this wisdom with us."

"Thanks for sorting through all of this."

"Not a problem. Don't know what half these utensils are, but if they looked decent enough I saved them. What's next?"

"Listen, I think maybe I need to tackle the rest of this myself. You've been a great help, really, but I just need to be alone right now. That ok?"

Lorelai felt a twinge of disappointment from essentially being booted out, but she understood where he was coming from. "Sure, Luke, I get it. It's no problem. I can check in on things at the inn, see if Michel has already blown a gasket today."

"Thanks. I'll see you later at the house?"

"Yes. Meanwhile, I need to figure out my dinner order."

"Dinner order?"

Lorelai gave Luke a slow smile. "Chinese, remember?"

Luke looked away briefly. "Oh, yeah, Chinese. Right."

* * *

"You! You did this to me!"

"Good morning, Michel," Lorelai said calmly and cheerfully as she hung up her jacket. "How are we doing today?"

"This is all your fault. Those insipid Poe people checked out, and I was neither kind nor helpful to them."

"A great thing to tell your boss, by the way."

"The point is, I did not go out of my way for them at all, but somehow they were so taken with my service and said I was so helpful that as a token of their appreciation they gave me this!" With his finger, he pointed to a stuffed raven sitting at the far end of the desk.

Lorelai did her best to keep from laughing. "Oh, Michel, that is just…lovely."

"It isn't! You know it isn't! Admit it, it's hideous!"

"And how is this my fault?"

"Because for some inexplicable reason, the guests seem to like you. You joke and flirt and they eat it up. If you had been here, you would have found some way to charm them and they would have given that…thing…to you instead!"

"But how could I deny you the possession of such an artistic gift? I mean, think of what a conversation piece it will be sitting in your house. And, and, when you get up in the middle of the night, you'll always have a friend watching you!"

Michel shivered. "I can't look at it anymore."

"Don't you mean nevermore?"

"Don't you start," he said slowly through gritted teeth. "Perhaps I can sell it on eBay."

Lorelai left Michel and his raven quandary and headed to the kitchen.

"Hey, Sookie?"

"Ahhhhhhhhhhh! You're here!" Sookie squealed, dropping her whisk with a clang. "Tell me everything!"

"About what?"

"About Luke living at your house! I mean, the diner getting damaged is bad, very bad. Jackson and I were dead to the world asleep last night, but I passed by it on the way to work this morning and I started crying. Stupid pregnancy hormones. But you and Luke! _And_ Jess! All under the same roof! I mean, what's that like? Come on, tell me!"

"Man, Patty is good."

"I didn't hear it from Patty. Jackson heard it from Bootsy this morning who heard it from Andrew who heard it from Fran who heard it from Mrs. Cassini who heard it from…oh yeah, Patty is good. I can't believe I didn't hear it from you first, though."

"Well, it was two in the morning, Sook. Then sleep, breakfast, and back to the diner. There just hasn't been any time. I was going to tell you."

"So did he stay in your room?"

"Sookie!"

"Ok, ok, sorry. I had to ask. But seriously, how is he doing?"

Lorelai leaned against the middle island. "He's…I don't know. He keeps saying he's ok, but you should have seen him this morning. I have never seen him so close to coming apart. It's really hit him hard. It's hit me hard, too. I want to help but I don't know how."

"You are helping, honey. Offering your house to him is a huge, wonderful thing you're doing. I'm sure he knows that you're there for him. I just…I have to ask this and I swear I won't bring it up again. Are you sure there aren't any ulterior motives in doing this?"

"Oh, because now that we're under the same roof I can just throw myself at him like you think I've always wanted to do?" Lorelai felt her nerves unraveling and grabbed a coffee mug to fill up.

"I didn't mean it like that."

"Well, it feels like a town-wide interrogation, and I haven't even seen most of the town yet!"

"But you knew the town was going to talk about something like this. We just want you both to be happy, and think maybe you might be happy with each other. But if you honestly don't feel that way, then I'll respect that, and won't bring it up anymore, ok?"

"Good. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Ooo! I'm going to make you all dinner! It's the least I can do. I just got this really fantastic salmon, so I can make that for Luke paired with this amazing kale salad. And you girls are getting the best mac 'n' cheese you've ever had! Does Jess eat?" Sookie grabbed a notepad to write her meal ideas down.

"Well, I'm working on this robot theory…."

"Huh?"

"Yes, Jess eats, pretty much anything from my observations. We have dinner all set for tonight, but we will probably be in need of some comfort food by this weekend."

"You got it!" Sookie said excitedly.

* * *

After a busy afternoon catching up on work, Lorelai returned home to find Rory in her bedroom sans Jess, staring at her Harvard wall.

"Whatcha doing?" Lorelai prompted.

Rory exhaled deeply. "It's just weird. I went to Paris' house this afternoon. She's been holed up in her room all week watching soap operas because she didn't get into Harvard. And I _did_ get into Harvard, and yet…."

"And yet what?"

Rory sat down on her bed. "And yet I think I've changed my mind."

Lorelai joined her. She'd had a feeling this was coming, and after much internal deliberation, she actually felt at peace with the whole idea. "It's Yale, isn't it?"

"How did you know?"

"I've been feeling it, too. Since we started those pro/con lists."

"Why didn't you say something? You were so against Yale when we went there with Grandma and Grandpa. I didn't want to disappoint you."

"How could you disappoint me? I have a daughter who can literally play eeny-meeny-miny-moe with which Ivy League school she goes to! And the Yale visit, well, that was aimed more at your grandparents. The pros for Yale have been through the roof on the list."

"But that board…." Rory pointed to the wall.

" _That board_ apparently needs a makeover."

"It's just so strange to believe in something so strongly for so long and then totally change your mind. I feel like a flake. I always thought it would be Harvard. So did you. So did Luke, and the whole town. The only ones that will be happy about this are Grandma and Grandpa."

"If it's what will make you happy, then I am happy, too. You are anything but a flake, and you have the right to change your mind. People change their mind all the time. I mean, you actually liked _Titanic_ the first time you saw it in the theater, and then you came to your senses. And you can't base this decision on what everyone will think. You have to shut out those voices. You have to shut out my voice, too, which, I know, will be near impossible. But this is about you and what you want. Everyone is going to be proud of you it won't matter what school you pick."

Rory nodded.

"So what are you thinking?"

Rory smiled. "I'm thinking, go Bulldogs?"

Lorelai grinned and wrapped her arms around her. "Congratulations," she whispered.

"Thanks, Mom."

When they pulled apart, Rory stood up. "I have to go tell Lane the news."

"Chinese for dinner."

"Just order my usual."

"Got it."

They heard the front door open.

"Lorelai?" Luke called out.

"Maybe you want to share your news with someone else first?" Lorelai suggested. Rory agreed.

They both walked out to the living room where Luke had sat down. "Oh, Luuuke," Lorelai sing-songed. "Rory has some news."

"What's that?"

Rory came closer. "I've decided to go to Yale."

"Wow. That's huge! What about Harvard?"

"You know, when it came down to it, it just didn't quite make the cut," Rory answered.

"And you're feeling good about this?"

"I'm feeling great about this."

"Well, then, congratulations, Rory. Yale, wow." Luke stood up and pulled her in for a tentative hug until Rory tightened her grip around him, and Lorelai watched him do the same.

Lorelai couldn't help but grin at the sight before her. It meant the world that Luke cared this much for Rory.

Once Rory walked out the door to go to Lane's, Luke shook his head. "That is one amazing kid you've got there."

"I've always thought so."

"How do you feel about this decision? Weren't you protesting Yale at one point?"

"I've turned a new leaf. It's right, Luke, it's really right. I know that now."

"Glad to hear it."

"How did the salvaging go?"

"Not bad. Saved a fair amount of stuff. I just finished unloading it in the garage."

"Hey, toothbrush!"

"New nickname?"

"No, you guys need toothbrushes! And toiletries, and new clothes, and ohhhh, I've got a great idea. Come to New Haven tomorrow morning with me."

"It's Friday. You're taking more time off work?"

"No, I have the day off tomorrow already. You guys need supplies. I'll help you shop, and you can help me with an errand for Rory."

"Yeah, ok, sounds good."

"Great! I'm going to go change clothes real quick, and then we can order dinner."

"Hey, I need to use your phone if that's ok."

"Mi casa es su casa."

Lorelai went upstairs feeling elated. Rory had made her decision, and Lorelai was thrilled. In all honesty, what made her the happiest was that Rory was going to be so close to home. Neither one of them had ever taken location into account, but she knew it would be almost unbearable to be hours away from her daughter. She just wasn't ready for that kind of separation yet.

The first thing to do was to revamp Rory's board. She'd save the Harvard paraphernalia, of course, but now it was time to cover it with everything Yale. She'd surprise Rory when she got home from school the next day.

When she started walking back down the stairs, she heard Luke was still on the phone. She didn't think much of it until she heard him say a name that made her blood run cold.

Nicole.

She remained frozen halfway down the stairs. Somehow since the fire, she'd managed to completely forget that Luke had a girlfriend! It was still such a foreign concept to her anyway, Luke _dating_ someone, that it had never even crossed her mind. Luke wandered around the living room, focused on the phone call.

"Yeah, Nicole, tomorrow night works fine. Sure, we can meet there. Alright, see ya then."

He hung up and noticed the Lorelai statue on the stairs.

"You alright?"

"Nicole," she squeaked out.

"Yeah, that was Nicole."

She found her legs again and walked down the rest of the way. "I can't believe I didn't factor in Nicole! You're staying here, and you're with Nicole! Why aren't you staying with her? Does she know about the fire?"

"She knows about the fire. And I'm not staying with her because she doesn't live here, for one. We also haven't been dating that long."

"But I didn't even consider if she would be ok with this! Was she ok when you told her?"

"Yeah, you know, she was fine with it."

"But what did she say?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing? You did tell her? She asked? Please don't tell me that her boyfriend's place of residence caught fire and she's not the least bit curious as to where he's staying?" This didn't add up at all.

"I said I'm staying with a friend."

 _Oh, no_. "That's it?"

"That's it."

"You didn't say who?"

"She didn't ask."

"Oh, Luke, no. No, no, no. Please tell me you saw her iciness toward me during the Poe reading. How do you think she'll react when she finds out this friend you're staying with is female, and more specifically, me? She'll have me drawn and quartered! She'll torture me by reading law books out loud while Muzak plays in the background! And if she finds out from someone else other than you, all hell will break loose. You have to tell her."

"You know, we aren't even all that serious yet."

"You have to tell her."

"She lives long distance."

"You have to tell her."

Luke gave a deep sigh. "Yeah, I have to tell her."

Lorelai felt her insides gnawing. "Listen, if you need to find another place—"

"No," Luke said quickly, cutting her off. "No, that's not what I want. Look, I'm sure if I just explain the situation fully, she'll understand. It's all temporary anyway."

"Right, temporary," Lorelai agreed, feeling unexpected relief at his decision to stay put. "All I did was take in a couple of refugees."

"Exactly. I'll straighten this out, don't worry. So, you ready for me to pick up dinner?"

"Oh, yeah, I made our list when I was upstairs." She handed him a small piece of paper.

"You know you could feed a small village with this order?"

"I know."

"Ok, I'll be back in a little bit."

Before she forgot, Lorelai grabbed the phone and dialed a number. "Hi, Mrs. Gleason, is Kirk there?"

After a pause, she heard a deep, "Hello?"

"Kirk, it's Lorelai. I can't believe I'm asking this, but I need a favor…."

* * *

 **A/N: Hey, everyone! Hope you enjoyed this slightly longer chapter! Thank you again for the follows and reviews-I love connecting with you all! A couple of notes:**

 **-For those hoping to see a lot more Jess, he will definitely be in this story, but I haven't totally decided his part in it yet. First and foremost, this is a Luke and Lorelai story, so just bear that in mind. :)**

 **-Also, I have never personally been involved with a fire (thank goodness), so any fire-related details that may not sound quite right, just ignore, please. :)**

 **Reviews are most welcome! Thank you so much for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

"Come on, which one looks better?" Lorelai asked.

"They're pennants. They look the same," was Luke's reply.

"They are so not the same! Look, this one has a sportier font, while this one has a more classic look."

Luke pinched the bridge of his nose. "They are both fine. They're blue pennants. Get 'em both."

"Good idea."

"Now can we go? You've bought enough Yale stuff to fill up your whole house!"

Lorelai continued to peruse the plethora of blue and white merchandise. "Don't you want Rory to be happy?"

"You know I do, but her happiness doesn't depend on whether or not you picked the right Yale pennant! We've been in here for over an hour, not to mention the other two hours we spent getting supplies, most of which were unnecessary."

"That jacket was a million percent off and fit you like a glove."

"I have jackets."

"That all smell like smoke right now."

"I can get the smell out."

"You may not be able to."

"I still don't need all of that stuff."

"Yes you do, Frugal MacDoogal. Plus, you're also providing for your nephew."

"Jess doesn't need much, either. He came to Stars Hollow with one bag."

"Like uncle, like nephew. Whatever happened to 'Thanks, Lorelai, for helping me get what I need so we can live comfortably in your house'?"

"I do appreciate it, but we've been shopping long enough."

"One more sweatshirt and I'll be done."

"Fine."

After a beat of silence, Lorelai heard, "She'll love the board, you know."

Lorelai smiled. "Yeah, she will."

* * *

When they arrived back at the house, Lorelai was the first to spot the box sitting on the porch.

She hurried to see if it was what she thought it was. "Yes! Kirk finished them already!"

"Finished what?"

Lorelai opened the door, dumped her many shopping bags, and pulled the box into the foyer. "The pièce de résistance of Rory's Yale transformation."

She opened the box and triumphantly pulled out a "rory's going to yale!" shirt.

"You didn't."

"Didn't what?"

"Buy Kirk's ridiculous shirts."

"They're not ridiculous when Rory's name is on them. I thought she'd get a kick out of it. Plus, I got a few extras, so if you and Jess want to join the celebration, you can."

Luke rifled through the box. "Geez, how many others did you want to celebrate?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, there are several shirts in here, way more than ones for me and Jess."

"Huh, that's weird. I only ordered a few. Let me see."

Lorelai pulled out all the shirts. "I don't get it. Maybe Kirk was just being extra generous? This doesn't make sen—"

Then she saw them.

"Oh, no, no, no."

"What?" Luke asked, clearly curious.

She hesitantly pulled open a shirt in front of Luke, causing his eyes to bug out.

"'luke moved in with lorelai'?!" he read.

"Ugh, Kirk sucks!"

"So you didn't order these?"

"No, Luke! Why would I order these?!"

"I'll kill him."

"And then we'll bring him back to life, and I'll kill him!"

"Come on, let's go."

"Where?"

"To commit murder."

"Right behind you!"

They found Kirk and his little folding table by the gazebo, with a small cluster of people. Luke and Lorelai restrained themselves until everyone dispersed.

"Luke! Lorelai! I see you got the package," Kirk greeted, noting the shirt in question that Lorelai's hand was gripping.

"Are you insane?!" Luke exploded.

Lorelai put an arm out to hold him back. "Relax, I've got this. Yes, we did get the package, Kirk. You did a great job on Rory's shirt, but we're trying to figure out why we have this other one?"

"Aren't they great? And don't worry, since they were a surprise, you can pay for them in installments rather than all at once. Plus, I waived the delivery fee this time."

Lorelai took a deep breath and tried again. "Kirk, what were you thinking?"

"Did I get the sizes wrong? I know you told me the sizes for you and Rory, but I wanted to make sure Luke could fit into one as well. I even eyeballed him for a while when you both were in the diner yesterday, but Luke, sometimes when you lean a certain way it's hard to tell if there's a pooch there—"

"Make him stop before I do," Luke growled near Lorelai's ear, then walked away towards the diner.

"Kirk, why did you think this was a good idea to print these?"

"Besides the fire, this is the biggest headline I've had to work with so far. My mother thought a t-shirt about the fire was in poor taste, and I agreed. So, I made these, and they have been my best sellers so far. People have been snatching them up left and right, even tourists! Of course, the tourists had no idea who you were, but once I told them your story, man, were they rooting for you two crazy kids!"

"Kirk!"

"What?"

"These shirts, they make it sound like Luke really moved in with me."

"Luke really did move in with you."

"No, I mean like we're living together."

"You are living together."

"Arrrgh, yes, in the technical sense, as in we're under the same roof, hey-he-knows-the-spatula-is-in-the-second-drawer kind of way. But Luke and I are not a couple! I'm simply helping out a friend who is down on his luck at the moment. The shirts are misleading, and I'd like you to stop selling them."

"Well, I have about twenty shirts left at $19.95 apiece."

"I thought they were $14.95."

"Inflation. Will you be paying with a check?"

"Excuse me?"

"I'm assuming you're buying the rest of my inventory?"

"Well, you know what they say when you assume something."

"No, what?"

"That you…shouldn't." _Why doesn't that line work on anyone?_ "Fine, give me the stupid shirts."

"Cash or check?"

"A one-week internship at the Independence."

"Done. Pleasure doing business with you." Kirk handed her the box the rest of the shirts were in.

She turned to leave.

"Lorelai?"

"Yes?"

"This is a paid internship, correct?"

"Bye, Kirk."

"Can you fax me a copy of your dress code?" Kirk called out as she walked away.

* * *

"Ta-da!"

Rory had followed her mother's voice into her own bedroom and was now standing in shock looking at her newly adorned Yale wall.

"You gave it a makeover!"

"Do you like it?" Lorelai asked, biting her lower lip in excitement.

"It's amazing! Thanks, Mom!" Rory fell into Lorelai's waiting embrace.

"And don't worry, your Harvard stuff is safely tucked away, just in case you ever switch allegiances again. Oh, and I almost forgot the best part!" Lorelai grabbed one of the t-shirts sitting on the bed and opened it up.

Rory gave a little giggle. "Well, that certainly beats 'babette ate oatmeal.' Thank you." She took the shirt to hold it up to herself. "I hope Kirk gave you a good deal."

"More or less, but he didn't stop there." Lorelai pulled out the other shirt design.

Rory's mouth dropped open. "Did you—"

"Oh no, Rory, this was Kirk's brainchild all the way. Apparently, the whole town has been buying these up. Not anymore, though. Luke and I put a stop to it. Well, I did, mostly. Luke was too mad. I found him pacing down by the lake after I dealt with Kirk. We griped about it all the way back to the house."

Rory gave Lorelai a curious look. "Why were you guys so upset? I mean, yeah, maybe the shirts shouldn't have been made, but Kirk was just being Kirk. I wouldn't think it would bother you so much."

Why _was_ it bothering her so much? Lorelai was not one to get easily ruffled by gossip or by being thrust into the spotlight of conversation. Heaven knows she'd endured her fair share of it walking the halls of high school looking like a beached whale. She'd endured it again when she received the curious stares and whispers from inn guests wondering why someone so young was working as a maid. She'd heard it all. So why was a t-shirt making her so crazy? Why did all the questions and raised eyebrows around town have her so on edge? She wasn't sure she could put her finger on it, but she had to tell Rory _something_.

"It's just not fair to Luke, you know? He's dealing with enough as it is without having the whole town sporting shirts and making insinuations. Luke and I are not a topical headline!"

Rory put a hand on Lorelai's arm to soothe her. "The whole thing is still new in people's minds. Give it a couple more days and I'm sure it will all be forgotten."

"I wonder if Guy Fawkes ever said that."

"It _will_ blow over, I promise."

Jess burst into the room, freezing when he saw the girls standing by the corner.

"Is this a surprise party or something?" he asked.

"Sorry, Jess, I had to show Rory her new Yale wall. We can give you your space."

"It looks good," he said noncommittally.

 _Did Jess just give her a compliment?_

"Yeah, Mom did a great job. It's helping my excitement level."

"You should be excited. Did I tell you I'm proud of you?"

"You did, but I don't mind hearing it again," Rory replied with a smile. "Where have you been?"

"I went to Gypsy's after school. My car was making a weird noise. She's fixed it for now, but she said she's planning on seeing me in a couple of weeks. This stupid car. So, I'm going to work tonight while you have your dinner thing."

"So you are going to school then," Rory stated.

"Wait, that's what you took away from all that? Yes, I'm going to school, learning my ABC's. I heard they're starting the letter Q next week, which should be extra challenging. Why would you think I wasn't?"

"Oh, no reason." Rory shrugged.

Lorelai had to do something, seeing as how she had somehow gotten stuck in the middle of this whole exchange. "It's my fault, Jess. I'm the one that put the thought in her head. You've just been working so much we were wondering how you were managing it all, so we questioned Rory about it."

"We?"

"Well, Luke was wondering, too. He really wants you to graduate." Luke was probably going to kill her for throwing him under the bus.

Jess ran his fingers through his hair. "You can tell Uncle Luke that's it's all under control. I go enough. I'll graduate."

"Jess…." Rory began.

"It's fine, I swear. Don't worry, Rory."

"But if you need help catching up…."

"Got it covered."

"If you say so."

"I do."

"Then if you're not behind, can we do something this weekend? We've been living in the same house for two days and I've hardly seen you. Andrew said he's having a really good sale this weekend."

"Sounds good, only if you let me read what you buy since you'll be storing them in _my_ room."

"We'll see."

Lorelai slipped out of the room while the couple embraced each other, grateful for the escape opportunity. She was almost about to turn to go up the stairs when Luke came barreling down them.

"Whoa, cowboy, what's your hurry?"

"Oh, hey, sorry. I was just getting ready to head out."

"To see Nicole."

"Yep."

She took in the bright blue dress shirt that was making his eyes pop. "I see you're wearing some of my purchases."

"Yeah, I gotta admit they've come in handy over the years."

"Well, you look, um…oh my god, the smell! What did you do, run laps in the cologne section at Macy's?"

"Nicole likes when guys wear cologne."

"So you decided to swim in it for her? This isn't you, Luke. It's not your diner smell."

"I have a _diner_ _smell_?" Luke asked, looking somewhat amused.

Lorelai got an awkward feeling creeping over her. This conversation was taking a weird turn. "Look, all I'm saying is that when it comes to cologne, subtle is better."

"I'll remember that for next time. Meanwhile, I need to get going."

"And you're telling her tonight, right?"

"Yes, hence the cologne."

"Well, I hope she's understanding."

"I'm sure she will be. I'll see you later?"

"Yeah, see you later," Lorelai said with a wave as he headed out the door. She went upstairs to change clothes, Rory joining her moments later to do the same.

"Ok, so strategy session for tonight. I'm telling Grandma and Grandpa about Yale."

Lorelai bristled a bit, knowing that what seemed like good news could easily take a turn for the worse in the Gilmore house. "So soon?"

"Yes, they deserve to know. My question is that since this is a night of revelations, are we telling them anything else?"

Lorelai held up a blouse with one of her skirts to see if it would match. "Are you referring to our newly acquired houseguests?"

"I am."

"No, no way, absolutely not, Rory. There is no reason why Richard and Emily need to know who is staying with us. Do you honestly think they'd be ok with the idea of your boyfriend staying here? And don't even get me started on what they will say about Luke. As far as they're concerned, the diner is still intact, and the guys are still living above it. There was no fire. In fact, we had breakfast at the diner this morning. I was going to have an omelet, and you were going to have pancakes, but then Lane intercepted us in the square talking our ear off about Dave and some new cd they've been bonding over. By the time we reached the diner, the place was packed. Luke forced us to sit at the table closest to the storeroom. I mean, how is that good customer service? After all we've been through. By that point we were running behind, so we just got doughnuts and coffee to go, but not before Kirk tried to be Luke's newest waiter and Luke threw a bagel at him. It was pretty funny!"

"Ok, I get it. We won't say a word."

* * *

"You do realize you're going to have to do this every week, don't you? The challenge will be to find an announcement every week that rivals your Yale announcement." Lorelai commented as they pulled back into their driveway later that night.

"I've never seen them so happy."

"Me, either! I could have dropped another pregnancy bomb on them and they would have started picking nursery colors. And the dancing! Your grandparents twirling around to Chuck Berry is a sight burned into my brain for life."

"It was a pretty great night. It would have been a good moment to tell them about the guys after all," Rory said, getting out of the car.

"Come up with a better announcement for next week, and I'll think about it."

They walked in the house and were heading towards the kitchen when they heard a steady, calm female voice. "Hi, Lorelai."

"Gah!" Lorelai exclaimed as she clutched her chest. She peeked into the living room, where Nicole sat perched regally on the couch.

"N-Nicole. Hi. Where's Luke?"

"Just getting me a glass of water."

Luke returned from the kitchen just then, looking a bit deer-in-headlights. "You're home already."

Rory made a beeline for the stairs. "I think I'm going to go start my homework."

 _Sure, leave me alone with the ice queen. Thanks, daughter of mine._

"So, you guys came back here."

"Well, you know, we, we were talking," Luke stammered. "And I mentioned our situation, and well, so then—"

"I wanted to see it for myself," Nicole finished for him.

"Well, as you can see, there is nothing to be concerned about here. My room is about twenty stories up that way. I mean you have to pack a lunch to get to it, you know? And Rory, that studious blur you just saw, is staying up there with me. And Luke has the couch down here, the one you're sitting on."

"I see that. I'm just wondering how this will work exactly," Nicole said, stone-faced.

"How what will work?"

"This whole girlfriend-boyfriend-roommate trio we have here. Am I even welcome here?"

"Of course you're welcome here, Nicole," Luke interjected. He looked over at Lorelai. "Right?"

"Yes, right, of course. You guys can come and go as you please. I promise I won't get in the way."

"I'm not so sure of that."

Lorelai's defenses went up. She and Luke were close but she certainly didn't go around sabotaging his relationships! At least, not intentionally.

She tried to remain calm. "Nicole, I just wanted to help him out. Believe me, you have nothing to worry about with Luke staying here."

Nicole gave Lorelai a tight smile that looked awfully fake. "Let's hope not." She stood then to give Luke a kiss on the cheek goodbye.

"I'll call you tomorrow, Luke."

"Bye, Nicole."

After she walked out, Luke collapsed onto the couch. "I gotta apologize. I had no idea she'd want to come back to the house, and I really didn't expect you to see her here. But she insisted. She needed to see where I was staying for herself. I explained everything but I'm still not sure she trusts me being here."

Lorelai sat at the other end of the couch and drew her knees up to her chin. "That's not a good sign."

Luke nodded. "Well, you've sort of been a sore point with me and Nicole."

"How come?"

"It was our first date, I, uh, ended up telling a few too many stories about you, you know, just trying to make conversation."

"Oh, Luke, no."

"I told her you and I are just friends, but ever since then, she seems to clam up if your name is mentioned. I know this arrangement bothers her but I don't know what else to do."

"Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you really want to be with her?"

Luke thought for a moment. "I don't know, I think so."

"You need to _know_ , Luke! This seems to be getting kinda serious."

"So serious that she wants me to meet her parents."

"What?"

"Yeah, she tells me tonight they're coming into town next week, and she wants me to meet them. That's a big step. It's been a really long time since I've done that. Is that where we're at now? The meeting-parents stage?"

"It appears that way."

"But it's all happening too fast. I mean, yeah, we've gone to see a couple Broadway shows, but are we a serious couple? I mean, at this rate, the next thing you know is we'll be going on some ridiculous cruise together, or worse, talk about moving in together! I'm not ready for that! I wasn't really expecting it to last this long. I mean, geez, the only reason I even asked her out in the first place is because you—"

"Because _me_?!" Lorelai cut him off.

Luke shifted on the couch. "Because you were dating that fish guy and I realized it's been a while since I've dated, I guess since Rachel was here last if you can count that. I figured I needed to get out there again, too."

Lorelai was still incredulous. "You're dating because _I'm_ dating?"

"No, you just, uh, inspired me to get back in the game."

"Ok, you're welcome?"

They sat for a minute in silence, always a feat when Lorelai was involved. She knew she had to get the rest of her thoughts off her chest.

"Luke, I don't think you're fully yourself around Nicole. You need someone who you can feel completely comfortable with, someone who will let you show all your sides, even the crazy ones. Nicole doesn't do that. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's just my observation. But if you think you are comfortable, and you see a future with her, maybe it's worth pursuing after all. Do you see a future with her?"

After a pause, Luke quietly answered, "I don't know."

"Well, you should probably figure that out."

"Yeah."

"Meanwhile, I'm going to bed. You're alright here?"

"Blankets, couch, dancing rabbi. I'm all set."

"Ok, goodnight, Luke."

"Goodnight."

Lorelai kept hearing the word "dating" in her head as she climbed the stairs. Technically, she was still dating Alex, but when was their last date? It had been several weeks ago. It wasn't anything bad that had happened; she knew he was bogged down in opening his coffee shop, and she had gotten caught up in her own stuff. She'd even kissed Max the other week! But was Alex even her boyfriend?

She knew the answer to that immediately. _No_. I mean, they'd had fun on the few dates they had been on, and the trip to New York had been great, but as she thought back, that probably had more to do with Sookie and Jackson being there than feelings of great romance.

There was some attraction there, no denying that. And the coffee shop was a major turn-on, but she already had access to the world's greatest coffee, now in her own home even! When she turned the questions she'd asked Luke onto herself, she knew there was no future with Alex. They didn't need to keep stringing each other along anymore.

After filling Rory in on the events of downstairs, where Rory hung on every word, Lorelai asked, "Hey, when you go get ready for bed, do you mind brushing your teeth an extra-long time for me?"

"Sure. I'm going out on a limb here and guessing this isn't because I suddenly have terrible breath?"

"I have a not-so-fun phone call I need to make."

Rory didn't know specifics, but seemed to understand what Lorelai needed right then and leaned over to kiss her cheek. "Take your time. I can always gargle a few times as well."

Lorelai dialed the number she hadn't used in weeks. "Hello?"

"Alex? It's Lorelai."

"Hey, how are ya? I'm sorry I haven't called. The shop is opening in a couple weeks and we've been scrambling to get everything done. But I've been thinking about you. Of course, I was going to invite you to the grand opening."

"That's sweet, thanks." She took a deep breath. "Listen…Alex…."

"That sounds ominous."

"No, it's not. Well, yeah, I guess it kinda is. You're a really great guy, Alex, and we've had a lot of fun. But I think that's all there is between us. I mean, if we were really serious, I don't think we would have gone weeks without talking, right?"

"Yeah, you're probably right. I really like you though, Lorelai."

"I like you, too, but I really don't see a relationship happening with us. I'm sorry."

"This is really over then, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Well, it was fun. I'm really glad I got to know you."

"Ditto."

"Hey, listen, you're still more than welcome to come to the grand opening. I'll mail you a flyer."

"I will think about it. Thanks."

"Bye, Lorelai."

"Bye, Alex."

* * *

 **A/N: Happy November! Can you believe we're just days away from Luke and Lorelai's first wedding anniversary? :)**

 **For those wanting an actual FND scene in this chapter, not to worry! I promise there will be FND scenes ahead! I cannot wait to take a crack at writing Emily!**

 **Also, I am so appreciative of all the continued support for this story! Your reviews mean the world to me, so feel free to let me know what you thought about this chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5

It took a little convincing, but somehow the four roommates had managed to find themselves sprawled out in front of the TV together the next night, all stuffed from Sookie's food she'd brought over. Jess had picked the movie Almost Famous for him and Rory to watch alone, but since Luke and Lorelai didn't have anywhere else to go, Rory got Jess to let them sit in as well. So far, the evening had been rather peaceful and relaxing. Lorelai had even seen Jess joke around a couple of times.

Hearing a knock on the door, Lorelai hit the pause button and got up to answer it.

"Wait a minute, no pausing the movie. Isn't that one of the rules you spent ten minutes going over before we started?" Luke said, hitting "play".

"I've taught you well, grasshopper," she replied.

She opened the door to find a slender woman with crinkly eyes and shoulder-length blonde hair, a worried expression on her face.

"Are Jess and Luke here?"

Lorelai racked her brain trying to decipher who this total stranger was. Should she even let her in?

"Please, it's important," the woman pleaded.

She went with her gut and opened the door wider. "Yes, come in."

"Oh, good! Thank you!"

"Luke, Jess, you have a visitor." Lorelai made a Vanna gesture at the woman standing next to her.

The guys turned and went stock still. Rory stopped the movie altogether, leaving pure silence, a rarity in this particular house.

"What are you doing here?" Luke murmured.

"What am I doing here? I heard about the fire! I tried to call you guys at the diner the other day and never got through, so I called a couple of friends, found out what happened, and next thing you know, I'm on a bus headed to Stars Hollow. I needed to see that my boys were ok! Come here."

She pulled Jess into her arms and squeezed him tight.

Lorelai looked over at Rory with questioning eyes, to which Rory just shrugged.

Jess squirmed, which made the woman embrace him harder. "I haven't seen you in a year, Jess. Give your mom a proper hug."

 _Mom? This was Liz? THE Liz?_

After she released Jess, she moved to Luke, who reluctantly wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm glad you're ok, big brother."

"Yeah, we're ok, Liz. Didn't your friends tell you that?"

"They did, but I just needed to see you guys for myself. And, you know, it's been a while since I've visited—"

"I'll say," Luke interjected.

"—and I thought I could hang out here for a few days, catch up with Jess, see a few people. So, where exactly are we right now?"

"Lorelai's house."

Liz turned and pointed at Lorelai, who nodded in return.

"Oh, you're the girlfriend!"

Lorelai put her hands up in protest. "Uh, no, no, I'm not the girlfriend. I'm the friend."

"Then where's the girlfriend?"

" _Nicole_ doesn't live in Stars Hollow," Luke said.

"But you're staying _here_ , in Lorelai's house?"

"Yes."

"And everyone's cool with that?"

"So far, so good."

Liz' eyes crinkled even more as she grinned. "Ok, ok, whatever you say. Well, it's nice to meet you, _Lorelai_."

"Nice to meet you, Liz. I've heard a lot about you."

"Yeah, like what?"

"Oh, like, you're Luke's sister."

"He admits it!"

"And, you know, Jess' mother."

"Yes, the rumors are true."

"And this is my daughter, Rory."

Rory extended her hand to Liz. "It's nice to meet you."

"Oh, _you're_ the girlfriend!"

"Uh, Jess' girlfriend, yes."

"And you two are under the same roof?! Man, this is getting crazier and crazier! You two aren't, uh, you know—"

That produced a chorus of answers from Rory, Jess, and Luke.

"No, not at all!"

"Mom, geez!"

"Liz!"

"I'm sorry, I had to ask. Isn't that what a mom is supposed to do? Besides, no judgment here; I certainly had my share of adventures in my teens."

"I gotta get out of here. Rory?" Jess said, heading for the door.

Liz pulled at Jess' arm. "Oh, now come on, I wasn't trying to scare you off. You know you've heard worse outta me before. Stay for a while, Jess. I've missed you."

Jess looked a little cornered but still shook his head. "Look, just let me process this a bit, ok? I need some air."

Rory looked a bit torn. "I should probably go with him. But it was really nice to meet you, Mrs. Mariano."

"Oh, sweetie, I haven't been a Mariano in a long time. Call me Liz."

Rory blushed. "I'm sorry. _Liz_."

Lorelai followed Rory to the door, watching her put on her coat. "Way to suck up to your future mother-in-law," she whispered.

"Shhhh!"

"You'll be back soon?"

"Yeah, I'll drag Jess back if I have to," Rory replied before she was out the door.

"So, are you staying somewhere, Liz?" Lorelai heard Luke ask as she headed back to the living room.

"Yeah, with Carrie Duncan."

"Crazy Carrie Duncan?"

"Is that her legal name?" Lorelai quipped.

Liz laughed. "She's not crazy. Luke just isn't over the fact that the two of them made out in high school."

"Really?" Lorelai drew out with a smirk.

"I did not make out with Crazy Carrie."

"She said you did," said Liz.

"Well, then she's a liar because I did not make out with Crazy Carrie."

"I could put in a good word for you," Liz suggested.

"No good words, no messages, no anything. And isn't she married?"

"More or less. How did you know that?"

"Small town. She is apparently smart enough to stay out of the diner, though. If I ever see her again, it will be too soon." Luke rolled his eyes.

"Aw, first loves," Lorelai couldn't help but add.

"Knock it off," Luke grumbled.

"Do you guys always do this?" Liz asked, amused.

"Do what?"

"This little teasing thing! It's great! Reminds me of us growing up. I used to give Luke such crap! It was my job, you know, as his little sister."

"Sure, I hear that's normal."

"No siblings?"

"Nope, only child. My existence gave my parents zero interest in procreating again," Lorelai said with a laugh.

Liz jerked her thumb in Lorelai's direction. "She's funny, this one."

"Yeah, a real riot. Look, Liz, can we just cut to the chase and you can tell me what you're _really_ doing here?"

Lorelai sensed a shift and began to back out of the room as Liz bristled a bit. "Why don't I let the two of you catch up?"

Liz stopped her. "No, no, stay. I'm not going to make you leave your own living room. It's nothing I haven't gotten from Luke before." She turned to her brother. "I'm only here to see that you guys were alright, honest. You gonna kick me out of town for that?"

Luke sighed. "No, of course not, but, come on, Liz, it's a little weird for you to just show up like this after all this time. Where were you during Jess' winter breaks? His spring breaks? You hardly call him. Do you even know what he's up to?"

"I know enough. Look, I've screwed up with him. That's why you've got him. He doesn't need me anymore. But I'm trying to turn a new leaf. Things are starting to get better for me, you know? I've got like this, this new awareness about life. I want to make some changes."

"Like what?"

"Lots of stuff! You know, be a better mom, stay sober, stuff like that."

Lorelai glanced at Luke, who clearly wasn't buying any of Liz' spiel.

"Well, what about your job? Are they ok with you just taking time off?"

"Actually I'm in between jobs right now."

"Of course you are. When are you _not_ in between jobs? And tell me, what is the next great big job you have lined up?"

Lorelai heard his agitation growing and gently placed a hand on his arm. "Luke…."

"No, Lorelai, I want to hear what Liz has planned next."

Liz appeared unruffled by her brother's comments. "Well, a friend of mine has been teaching me how to make jewelry. She says I'm a natural at it! And I have a couple friends in the renaissance fair circuit, and they said they would try to get me connected, too."

"So you can sell homemade jewelry at a renaissance fair?"

"Yeah, how cool is that gonna be?!"

"Geez, Liz, do you even hear yourself?"

"I mean, maybe it's a little flaky, but I'm excited, Luke. And I'm good at it!"

Lorelai watched this exchange in wonder. It was so interesting to see Luke in the role of brother, where his judgment over Liz' choices was clearly written all over his face. Meanwhile, Liz was downright giddy as she described her plans, clearly undeterred by Luke's invisible daggers.

"What kind of jewelry do you make, Liz?" Lorelai asked, trying to diffuse the situation a bit.

"I've been trying all kinds, but mostly beaded necklaces, earrings, some crystal, too. I'd love to show you my stuff while I'm here. I brought some samples with me, but they're at Carrie's."

"Well, I'd love to see them," Lorelai said.

"Awesome! And Luke, you'll see, this stuff can sell. I'm gonna be fine."

Luke was silent.

Liz nodded. "Ok, so I'm just gonna go. I'll stop by tomorrow and maybe we can have an actual conversation." She walked up to Luke. "You may not be glad to see me, but I'm glad to see you, big brother. You look really good."

Luke softened a bit as Liz started to walk away. "You look good too, Liz. You seem…happy."

Liz grinned. "Thanks. Tell Jess I'll see him tomorrow. You know, give him more time to process."

"You're welcome here anytime, Liz," Lorelai called to her as she headed out.

"Thank you, Lorelai," Liz acknowledged, and turned to go.

Luke began to pace the living room once Liz had left.

"You ok?" asked Lorelai.

"This whole thing is gonna blow up in her face. Jewelry making? Renaissance fairs? Same old irresponsible Liz, just doing whatever she wants to do. And who is going to have to bail her out? Me. Never changes."

Lorelai sat back down on the couch. "You don't know that. Maybe she really has changed. You spent ten minutes with her. There may be more to the story. Plus, who says you _have_ to be one that saves her? Maybe she can save herself."

Luke paused his pacing to take in her words, to really take them in, but still shook his head. "You don't know her like I do. I've been cleaning up her messes for a long time, which is why I have an unruly teenager in my care. Just wait, she'll ask for money, and if not money, something else."

Before Lorelai could formulate a response, there was once again a clamorous knock at the door.

"Maybe Liz forgot to say something?" Before Lorelai could actually open the door, though, Babette burst in, breathless. "Town meeting in fifteen minutes!"

"It's not a scheduled night for a meeting."

"I know, doll, but Taylor is back in town and called an impromptu meeting, and said it would be in your _best interest_ if all of you were there."

Luke and Lorelai knowingly looked at each other, dreading the worst.

"Now I already caught Rory and Jess and they're on their way, although Jess didn't look too happy about it. I figured you guys hadn't heard yet, even though Kirk's been runnin' around town like Paul Revere, tryin' to catch everybody. You're comin', aren't ya?"

"Ehh, let's get this over with," Luke grumbled.

* * *

"You made it," Rory said scooting over to make room as Lorelai and Luke squeezed their way into Miss Patty's. "Babette?"

"The one and only," Lorelai replied. Leaning in, she whispered, "What did you bribe Jess with to get him to come?"

Rory whispered back, "He wasn't ready to see Liz again tonight, so I told him this would be the perfect thing to ensure that didn't happen."

Lorelai stared her daughter down.

"Ok, fine, I bribed him with books. Babette made it sound like we are about to go to war, so I figured we'd better be here, plus, the diner and all."

"Well, it's not the Fourth of July, but I have a feeling we're about to get a fireworks show."

Taylor approached the front of Miss Patty's, looking eager to begin the meeting.

"Ok, people, thank you all for coming. I appreciate everyone's efforts to keep Stars Hollow as pristine as possible in my absence. However, there are a couple of urgent matters I felt could not wait until the next meeting. I'm sure you have all seen Luke's Diner in its abominable state. Uh, is Luke here?"

"Yeah, here, Taylor."

Taylor looked at the four of them all scrunched up in the back. "Ah, wonderful! It's the perfect opportunity for us to help brainstorm with Luke about what the next business in that corner should be."

"What are you talking about?" Luke asked, already getting frustrated. "It's going to remain Luke's Diner."

"Ah, _but_ is that honestly in the best interest of the town? That corner lot is filled with a rich history of various businesses. In fact, there has been business conducted on that very spot since 1792. Of course, not in the current building, but that building has had its fair share as well. Maybe it's time we think of something this town has never seen before, something that will bring tourists in by the truckload. A diner doesn't necessarily bring the right demographic to this town, does it?"

Luke hunched over, grabbing at his hat, and Lorelai nudged Rory, both knowing he was about to explode.

However, Jess beat him to the punch. "Lay off, Taylor, we all know this is because you don't want the diner competing with your stupid Soda Shoppe."

"That is entirely untrue," Taylor refuted. "I just have something better in mind. Picture this: a Stars Hollow visitor's center! All the local businesses can have brochures available, we can have scheduled tours around the town, and it's in the perfect location because after the tourists look around, they can relax next door with refreshments from the Soda Shoppe!"

"Where's the diner gonna go?" Babette asked.

"There wouldn't be a diner anymore. There are plenty of other eateries in town."

"Why would we even need a tour around town? It would take two minutes! You go around the square and you're done," Gypsy chimed in.

"There's more to the town than that! My newsstand is behind the square," Bootsy argued.

"Tourists need more than candy and ice cream. They need burgers!" said Babette.

"Well, then, Luke can rebuild elsewhere, assuming he obtains all the proper permits," Taylor suggested.

"Forget it, Taylor!" Luke bellowed, finally standing up in frustration. "There will be no visitor's center, or any other of your harebrained ideas, in the space of _my_ diner! And I am not moving my diner. It's my choice, my decision. And since I'm your landlord, and already let you have your Soda Shoppe, you would do well to drop the subject, _now_."

"I just thought if we could drum up some town interest, it may sound appealing to you. But fine, I suppose we will table it for the time being. The other order of business is the recent cohabitation of Luke and Lorelai."

"Oh, for cryin' out loud, Taylor!" Luke said.

Lorelai stiffened at the mention of her and Luke's situation. She had a bad feeling something like this was coming. She felt fiercely protective of Luke and Jess staying with them, and as much as she loved this town and its rather intrusive nature, she'd nearly reached her limit.

Taylor prattled on. "Besides the issue of propriety, my main concern stems from the fact that with the diner currently unusable, there is nothing keeping Luke in Stars Hollow anymore. If things go sour with Luke staying at the Gilmore residence, and there's a good chance of that, who is to say he won't pull up stakes and settle somewhere else?"

Lorelai felt a brief prick of fear at his words. Luke would never leave Stars Hollow…would he?

"But you just tried to get him to let go of his diner," Kirk pointed out.

"Yes, but _apparently_ the diner is staying, so we need our diner owner to stay as well."

Lorelai looked at her companions. Luke was hunched over again, muttering under his breath, while Rory and Jess sat gaping at Taylor. Enough was enough.

It was Lorelai's turn to stand up in anger. "Stop, Taylor, you're taking this way too far! You can't stand there and pass judgment on our living situation! Luke has had a horrible thing happen to him, and the only thing you guys care about is what's happening at my house and whether he stays in town. Luke didn't have a place to stay, so I helped him out. That's it. Whatever else happens doesn't concern you! The only people this concerns are me, Rory, Luke, and Jess," she said, pointing to each of them for emphasis. "So you will leave him alone, and leave us alone about it, ok? This is our situation, not yours!"

Lorelai glanced down at Luke who was staring at her with an expression of surprise, mixed with something else she couldn't quite place, and wasn't sure if she wanted to.

"Oh, very well. Clearly, we aren't getting anywhere with this tonight. Alright, meeting adjourned, people," Taylor said, banging the gavel one last time.

"Well, the fireworks were pretty good tonight. Not as good as the planning session for the Easter egg hunt of '99," Rory commented.

"What happened?" Jess asked.

"Words were said, eggs were thrown, it got ugly around here for a little while," Rory said. "I still can't believe Taylor went that far tonight."

"Please, I've only been here two years and even I know Taylor has no limits. Hey, Luke, if you want, I can draw another chalk outline outside his store."

"Tempting, but no."

"Suit yourself."

"Oh, hey, we'll be right back," Rory said, spotting someone in the diminishing crowd.

Luke and Lorelai began to slowly make their way out of the studio. Once outside, they saw Rory and Jess talking in a huddle with several townspeople.

"See that?" Lorelai pointed. " _That_ is about my birthday."

"How do you know?"

"Oh, I know. Rory has been acting sneaky the past couple of weeks, and I just know she's planning something big. She learned from the best, after all."

"It's next Friday, right?"

"You remembered."

"Yeah, a couple things about you stick," Luke said, smiling. "Hey, listen, thanks…you know, for what you said in there."

"You're welcome. I just couldn't take it anymore. Everyone has been acting so weird lately. Does this town have nothing better to do than speculate on our living arrangements?"

"We both already know the answer to that question."

"Oh, oh, and then Taylor with his crazy visitor center idea? He's turning into Mr. Potter! This town will be renamed Doosesville before you know it."

Luke just stared blankly.

"Mr. Potter? _It's a Wonderful Life_?"

"Never seen it."

"You've never seen…." Lorelai trailed off in disbelief. "Did you have a TV growing up?"

"Yes, we had a TV, I just didn't watch it all that much."

"Well, mister, as long as you're under my roof, we're going to fix that. There will be a _lot_ more movie nights. We have so much work to do."

"As you wish."

Now it was Lorelai's turn to stare. _Did he just…?_

" _A Princess Bride_?" Luke teased.

"Yes, I know. I just didn't think you did."

"Believe it or not, I have seen _some_ movies."

"Glad to hear it. Hey, Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"What Taylor said about you leaving town, you weren't thinking about that, were you?"

"Nah. For better or worse, and let's face it, it's a lot of 'worse' sometimes, this is my town. I'm not going anywhere."

Lorelai smiled, feeling lighter than she had all evening. "Good."

"Yeah, good."

* * *

 **A/N: Hello, my readers! I promised myself when I started writing this fic that I'd update it CONSISTENTLY, and yet here I am, 6 months later with an update. It's been a season of loss and change for me, and sadly, writing got put on the back burner, even though I had every intention of picking it back up. Thank you for your patience! I know not a lot happens in this chapter, but I wanted to give you guys something. The next couple chapters will be a little more interesting, I promise! I'm going to TRY to update more frequently. Please let me know what you thought about this chapter. Reviews give me life! Thank you all!**


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